Two weeks on from the accident I'm taking stock.
I'm going back to my volunteering jobs this week, really pleased not to be letting people down. I'm swimming, still only breast stroke & sculling on my back. Still very slow & less lengths, but it is helping I'm sure, & I always see friends there. I'm back on Warfarin now, so my INR should get back to normal. Resuming my Psychology course too.
Just as well things are improving because I am due to go to a school reunion at the weekend & then to Seville for a mini break next week.
I have a discernable raised ridge from the bridge of my nose up my forhead which is tender to touch. I'm not getting the bad headaches, just slight aching at times, but my brain feels odd - fuzzy - I'm not confident in my memory. Still no recollection of Monday the 6th until the evening. My left elbow is also tender. My left arm & shoulder & my neck are the most painful ongoing issues.
I'm seeing my Osteopath on Wednesday, so it will be interesting to see what she makes of the injuries.
The body has amazing powers of recuperation - I just need to give it time. Time is at a premium at my age though & I try to make the most of it. This last fortnight has been stolen from me. But on the plus side friends have been lovely - very concerned & supportive.
Monday 20 March 2017
Thursday 16 March 2017
Fully Functioning?
We humans take so much for granted. We have the most unbelievable bodies & brain. A complex system which can never be matched by a machine, however intelligent & complex. It isn't until something goes wrong that we realise just how reliant we are on it all working properly.
My brain definitely isn't. 10 days on from the accident & concussion I still can't remember almost all of Monday 6th.The swelling has gone. The black & blue Panda eyes are back to normal. I'm optimistic I won't have a permanent vertical scar line down my forhead & nose.
I am nervous about walking about outside. I've lost my confidence & I'm concerned I won't see something & will have an accident. I've morphed from a hare into a tortoise. In short I've become an old lady overnight. I've become obsessive about writing things down. We all have memory lapses as we get older. We all set off to do something & forget what it was & have to re-trace our steps. That's normal. This is different. Unless I write things down I won't remember. I can almost feel a thought drifting away. I try to grasp it but it has gone like a butterfly. Sometimes it comes back, but not always eg Naan bread - could not remember what it is called!
The x Rays yesterday confirmed that my shoulder isn't broken. But I struggle to use my left arm. Showering, washing my hair, dressing & undressing is difficult. I can't drive yet because I can't change gear. My neck & back is painful too. I know I just have to give it all time. Older people just don't recover as quickly as the young. At least I'm a more patient patient now I'm older & accept what I can't change. Thank God for strong Co-Codamol.
On the plus side I went swimming for the first time today. The GP said to try if the arm wasn't broken. I can do breast stroke & scull on my back. I can't do my normal back crawl though. It was just really nice to get out of the house & meet people I know at the pool.
My brain definitely isn't. 10 days on from the accident & concussion I still can't remember almost all of Monday 6th.The swelling has gone. The black & blue Panda eyes are back to normal. I'm optimistic I won't have a permanent vertical scar line down my forhead & nose.
I am nervous about walking about outside. I've lost my confidence & I'm concerned I won't see something & will have an accident. I've morphed from a hare into a tortoise. In short I've become an old lady overnight. I've become obsessive about writing things down. We all have memory lapses as we get older. We all set off to do something & forget what it was & have to re-trace our steps. That's normal. This is different. Unless I write things down I won't remember. I can almost feel a thought drifting away. I try to grasp it but it has gone like a butterfly. Sometimes it comes back, but not always eg Naan bread - could not remember what it is called!
The x Rays yesterday confirmed that my shoulder isn't broken. But I struggle to use my left arm. Showering, washing my hair, dressing & undressing is difficult. I can't drive yet because I can't change gear. My neck & back is painful too. I know I just have to give it all time. Older people just don't recover as quickly as the young. At least I'm a more patient patient now I'm older & accept what I can't change. Thank God for strong Co-Codamol.
On the plus side I went swimming for the first time today. The GP said to try if the arm wasn't broken. I can do breast stroke & scull on my back. I can't do my normal back crawl though. It was just really nice to get out of the house & meet people I know at the pool.
Tuesday 14 March 2017
Claims & the Law
Today I contacted the car owners insurers. I had asked if she had informed them & the police about the accident. She said she had - The police weren't interested & there was a claim number for the insurers. It turns out that she only notified them yesterday after my email query.
I got put through to Admiral's underwriters who have to assess my claim. They took the details & will get back to me. There may be a point when I need to get a lawyer who specialises in accidental injury, but I'd rather avoid that if I can. In my voluntary experience as a Magistrate for many years & then a trained Mediator, the Law just complicates matters because our system is so adversarial.
What's happened has happened. Nothing can change it.
I don't think I have recovered from the concussion yet. My memory of Monday shows no sign of returning. The facial bruising is much better though. My left arm, shoulder & neck is still very painful & movement is limited. I'm seeing my GP today.
The thing is, given that the car owner has admitted that she caused the accident beause the car shouldn't have been parked with the cycle rack jutting out so far onto the pavement, you would think that all of this could be settled fairly simply. I'm not holding my breath though. Insurers aren't known for paying out without a fight.
I am the one who has to acept all the repercussions from this accident, now & possibly in the future. I feel that Justice is on my side, but am old enough to know that doesn't mean that the Law will be.
PS
Well, sadly I was right. Admiralty Insurers have just phoned to say that they do not accept liability for this accident. They say because the car was unattended & stationary it was there to be seen. So the only relevant factor is I should have seen the cycle rack.
I really wish I could remember what happened, was I distracted, was I looking down at the pavement, which is most likely given the hazards on the pavements in Oxford? It seems that pedestrians should adopt a search & destroy stance, constantly on the look out for hazards in their way at whatever level. At least I could prove that I wasn't on my mobile phone, which I imagine is what the insurers might assume.
Now I have to decide whether to take it to a lawyer. Admiral would prefer to go to court. Is it too cynical to think that's because most plaintiffs would not want to endure that stress, hassle & cost?
PPS
Visited my GP. Have to go and have more X rays on the arm, shoulder, neck & back. Life isn't fair.
I got put through to Admiral's underwriters who have to assess my claim. They took the details & will get back to me. There may be a point when I need to get a lawyer who specialises in accidental injury, but I'd rather avoid that if I can. In my voluntary experience as a Magistrate for many years & then a trained Mediator, the Law just complicates matters because our system is so adversarial.
What's happened has happened. Nothing can change it.
I don't think I have recovered from the concussion yet. My memory of Monday shows no sign of returning. The facial bruising is much better though. My left arm, shoulder & neck is still very painful & movement is limited. I'm seeing my GP today.
The thing is, given that the car owner has admitted that she caused the accident beause the car shouldn't have been parked with the cycle rack jutting out so far onto the pavement, you would think that all of this could be settled fairly simply. I'm not holding my breath though. Insurers aren't known for paying out without a fight.
I am the one who has to acept all the repercussions from this accident, now & possibly in the future. I feel that Justice is on my side, but am old enough to know that doesn't mean that the Law will be.
PS
Well, sadly I was right. Admiralty Insurers have just phoned to say that they do not accept liability for this accident. They say because the car was unattended & stationary it was there to be seen. So the only relevant factor is I should have seen the cycle rack.
I really wish I could remember what happened, was I distracted, was I looking down at the pavement, which is most likely given the hazards on the pavements in Oxford? It seems that pedestrians should adopt a search & destroy stance, constantly on the look out for hazards in their way at whatever level. At least I could prove that I wasn't on my mobile phone, which I imagine is what the insurers might assume.
Now I have to decide whether to take it to a lawyer. Admiral would prefer to go to court. Is it too cynical to think that's because most plaintiffs would not want to endure that stress, hassle & cost?
PPS
Visited my GP. Have to go and have more X rays on the arm, shoulder, neck & back. Life isn't fair.
Monday 13 March 2017
Slow road to Recovery
Today I walked to the surgery for a Warfarin blood test because I was told not to take it after the head injury. Very slow progress & tired out when I got there. I arrived 2 hours early for the appointment, despite a calendar, diary & weekly wall chart with the right time on! The nurse was surprised I hadn't been referred to a trauma clinic. Seeing my GP tomorrow.
It's a lovely day but I haven't got the energy to do anything. I've cancelled my volunteering again this week. I see no prospect of being able to resume swimming, given that I can't raise my left arm & it's quite painful. I have to raise the arm using my right hand. Dressing & showering is difficult. I'm normally very active, so enforced inaction is very frustrating. On the other hand everything is too much effort.
Today it all hit me & I feel very sorry for myself. Up till now I've been more focussed on the pain & just getting through each day. I am so cross that my life has been impacted so much by someone else's thoughtlessness. I've been trying to find out exactly what happened last Monday from witnesses. It now seems possible I might have been lying unconcious for an hour or so before I was found.
The irony of the fact that I have had an accidental head injury is not lost on me, given how my husband died. Had my INR been high, (it has been 9.7) the consequences of this would have been really bad.
It's a lovely day but I haven't got the energy to do anything. I've cancelled my volunteering again this week. I see no prospect of being able to resume swimming, given that I can't raise my left arm & it's quite painful. I have to raise the arm using my right hand. Dressing & showering is difficult. I'm normally very active, so enforced inaction is very frustrating. On the other hand everything is too much effort.
Today it all hit me & I feel very sorry for myself. Up till now I've been more focussed on the pain & just getting through each day. I am so cross that my life has been impacted so much by someone else's thoughtlessness. I've been trying to find out exactly what happened last Monday from witnesses. It now seems possible I might have been lying unconcious for an hour or so before I was found.
The irony of the fact that I have had an accidental head injury is not lost on me, given how my husband died. Had my INR been high, (it has been 9.7) the consequences of this would have been really bad.
Sunday 12 March 2017
Impact
Obviously there is the impact of the collision with unyielding metal on my head. I'm waking up with an awful headache every morning. Being vertical does seem to make it recede eventually. Yesterday I had two episodes of flashing lights which are usually the precursor to a migraine. My shoulder is still painful & really limits what I can do. I'm trying not to take too many pain killers, but can only get some sleep at night if I do.
The other impact is on my life. Now, after almost a week, I am really fed up with being confined to the house seeing no one. Normally my life is quite busy. I swim 4 or 5 times a week & usually see friends at the pool. I volunteer at the community centre once or twice a week. I'm a volunteer usher at the theatre most weeks. I am doing a Psychology course in a group. I normally go out of the house at least once every day & would usually meet people I know. I need to go into Oxford to do a couple of things, but don't feel fit enough to face that yet.
If I am ill or have hurt myself, although it's not necessarily my fault, I can accept it. I am, after all, used to years of coping with chronic conditions & pain. This is different. This has happened to me through no fault of my own, but because someone else did something thoughtless or even negligent which put pedestrians at risk. I still don't understand why I didn't see the cycle rack - was I distracted by something? I know I tend to look down at the pavement when I'm walking because the pavements in Oxford are so full of pitfalls for pedestrians & I don't want to trip up - How ironic is that?
The big consolation is my friends who have read my Blog. So many have emailed or phoned to commiserate & see how I am. Without exception they have encouraged me to take this further, either report it to the police or get legal advice or both. Their support is wonderful & much appreciated.
So some good does come out of adversity.
The other impact is on my life. Now, after almost a week, I am really fed up with being confined to the house seeing no one. Normally my life is quite busy. I swim 4 or 5 times a week & usually see friends at the pool. I volunteer at the community centre once or twice a week. I'm a volunteer usher at the theatre most weeks. I am doing a Psychology course in a group. I normally go out of the house at least once every day & would usually meet people I know. I need to go into Oxford to do a couple of things, but don't feel fit enough to face that yet.
If I am ill or have hurt myself, although it's not necessarily my fault, I can accept it. I am, after all, used to years of coping with chronic conditions & pain. This is different. This has happened to me through no fault of my own, but because someone else did something thoughtless or even negligent which put pedestrians at risk. I still don't understand why I didn't see the cycle rack - was I distracted by something? I know I tend to look down at the pavement when I'm walking because the pavements in Oxford are so full of pitfalls for pedestrians & I don't want to trip up - How ironic is that?
The big consolation is my friends who have read my Blog. So many have emailed or phoned to commiserate & see how I am. Without exception they have encouraged me to take this further, either report it to the police or get legal advice or both. Their support is wonderful & much appreciated.
So some good does come out of adversity.
Saturday 11 March 2017
Accidental Injury
Day 5
Today was a milestone - I was able to wash my hair. It's not easy when you can't raise one arm, but if I bent over the sink I didn't have to. Probably only another woman would appreciate how much better that made me feel. Fortunately I have been able to shower having had a wet room ensuite installed last year. Getting going in the morning seems to take ages.
The bloody scabs on my face are starting to peel off. I'm trying not to knock them because I don't really want a permanent vertical scar line down my forhead & nose! My eye sockets are changing colour. The black / purple is changing to a delightful mix of green, yellow & red - very Lucien Freud. I've had two bouts of flashing lights today. I used to have dreadful migraines, but now I just tend to get the visual disturbance - Not twice in a day before though.
Which Legal responded to say that they don't give advice on accidental injury, but I should contact a solicitor. In my experience the Law & Lawyers just complicate matters & are extremely expensive. It's not the course of action I would chose. However the consensus of my friends seems to be that I should, so I have contacted 2 local law firms who have specialists in the field.
It's all such a b..... nuisance. Not what I want to be spending my time doing. I just think I have to consider the possible repercussions of a head injury.
Today was a milestone - I was able to wash my hair. It's not easy when you can't raise one arm, but if I bent over the sink I didn't have to. Probably only another woman would appreciate how much better that made me feel. Fortunately I have been able to shower having had a wet room ensuite installed last year. Getting going in the morning seems to take ages.
The bloody scabs on my face are starting to peel off. I'm trying not to knock them because I don't really want a permanent vertical scar line down my forhead & nose! My eye sockets are changing colour. The black / purple is changing to a delightful mix of green, yellow & red - very Lucien Freud. I've had two bouts of flashing lights today. I used to have dreadful migraines, but now I just tend to get the visual disturbance - Not twice in a day before though.
Which Legal responded to say that they don't give advice on accidental injury, but I should contact a solicitor. In my experience the Law & Lawyers just complicate matters & are extremely expensive. It's not the course of action I would chose. However the consensus of my friends seems to be that I should, so I have contacted 2 local law firms who have specialists in the field.
It's all such a b..... nuisance. Not what I want to be spending my time doing. I just think I have to consider the possible repercussions of a head injury.
Friday 10 March 2017
Concussion Repercussions.
4 days on from the head injury - still can't remember anything about Monday. But the swelling has gone down considerably & the pain is significantly reduced, so I only have to take pain killers at night to be able to sleep. The range of movement in the shoulder is very limited, so I have to help the arm to move with the other hand - dressing & showering is difficult. I couldn't drive. Not only because of the concussion, but also because I couldn't change gear.
I tried walking into Summertown this morning to get some pills & food - Extremely slow. My legs feel like lead & I was tired out when I got back. Resuming swimming obviously isn't going to happen any time soon. My whole life has been halted.
On the way I went into the Wine Cafe to thank I, who apparently found me. She wasn't there, but the owner of the car, R, was, so I have got her details. Obviously she came face to face with my injuries, but she didn't ask how I was, what had happened at the hospital, what treatment I've had / will need. Nothing. Nada. Rien. She did accept that the car shouldn't have been parked as it was, but no apology or concern whatsoever.
Yesterday friends said the accident should be reported & I should take this further because there could possibly be long term effects given my age & the injury. (Wish I knew a lawyer). I am a member of Which Legal so have sent them an email to ask advice.
Suing wouldn't be my natural course of action. The woman was moving into a flat above the Wine Cafe, I think it must be a new job. She was rushing because she was late for her shift. We can all make mistakes. Accidents happen. I just find her attitude to the pain, disruption & cost of all this to me & everyone involved quite unbelievable. She was happy to give me her insurance details & seems to think that's the extent of her responsibility.
Maybe it's an age thing.
I tried walking into Summertown this morning to get some pills & food - Extremely slow. My legs feel like lead & I was tired out when I got back. Resuming swimming obviously isn't going to happen any time soon. My whole life has been halted.
On the way I went into the Wine Cafe to thank I, who apparently found me. She wasn't there, but the owner of the car, R, was, so I have got her details. Obviously she came face to face with my injuries, but she didn't ask how I was, what had happened at the hospital, what treatment I've had / will need. Nothing. Nada. Rien. She did accept that the car shouldn't have been parked as it was, but no apology or concern whatsoever.
Yesterday friends said the accident should be reported & I should take this further because there could possibly be long term effects given my age & the injury. (Wish I knew a lawyer). I am a member of Which Legal so have sent them an email to ask advice.
Suing wouldn't be my natural course of action. The woman was moving into a flat above the Wine Cafe, I think it must be a new job. She was rushing because she was late for her shift. We can all make mistakes. Accidents happen. I just find her attitude to the pain, disruption & cost of all this to me & everyone involved quite unbelievable. She was happy to give me her insurance details & seems to think that's the extent of her responsibility.
Maybe it's an age thing.
Wednesday 8 March 2017
Accidents - Concussion & Dementia!
My lovely daughter M has had a taster of the senile me! I had an accident on Monday afternoon walking to one of my volunteer jobs. I was knocked out & badly concussed. So much so that I can't remember any of Monday at all.
Some North Oxford idiot, in a big 4WD, had parked their car so that a huge cycle rack on the back protruded out over most of the pavement & I walked right into it. I have no idea why or how because of the memory loss. Someone found me on the floor & somehow called M & the ambulance. A kind person, I, brought a chair out for me to sit on. When the ambulance didn't arrive, a Good Samaritan, J, took us to hospital in his car.
M is obviously going to be excellent at dealing with someone with no short term memory because I apparently amused the occupants of A&E enormously repeating things over & over. I also had no inhibitions & pointed out things about other people in a loud voice - For example how silly it was not to do up your shoe laces because you might trip up. (I doubt M found it funny after several hours & I imagine it's quite surprising someone didn't take exception to me & add to the facial bruises!)
Apparently I was triaged, had scans, xrays, blood tests etc. But none of it registered. The result is no broken shoulder or nose, but a face like a prize fighter's after coming out the worst from a boxing bout.
We eventually got home late in the evening. M had been told I had to be watched for 24 hrs. My lovely grandsons couldn't hide their shock when they saw me the next morning.
It's not appropriate to go into all the circumstances here, but it is interesting that the person whose car it was, & definitely knew what had happened as a result of their poor & probably illegal parking, didn't have the grace to ask how I was or apologise. Instead she apparently left a very jolly message on M's answerphone, which incensed M quite reasonably.
The thing about this story is that one thoughtless person has caused all the people involved so much time, cost & trouble. The cost to the NHS must be considerable & there might be long term consequences as I'm in my 70's. The people who helped me really put themselves out & were kind & considerate. M had to leave her teaching job & spend hours in A&E & then come home to check on me the next day. She is very capable, but it must all have been very stressful & worrying.
I have been in quite considerable pain for 2 days. As well as the facial / head / shoulder injuries all my leg & arm muscles hurt because I must have fallen quite heavily. In effect I have lost a complete day of my life & may never recover it. I never turned up for two appointments on Monday & have had to cancel everything since. I'm not sure when I will be fit enough to resume my life.
I'm trying to keep a balance between the many people who were kind & helped me & the one person who is responsible for all this but doesn't seem capable of accepting that responsibility. An enquiry how I am & an apology doesn't seem too much to ask.
Not sure where I will go from here. Accidents happen, but this was an accident waiting to happen.
Some North Oxford idiot, in a big 4WD, had parked their car so that a huge cycle rack on the back protruded out over most of the pavement & I walked right into it. I have no idea why or how because of the memory loss. Someone found me on the floor & somehow called M & the ambulance. A kind person, I, brought a chair out for me to sit on. When the ambulance didn't arrive, a Good Samaritan, J, took us to hospital in his car.
M is obviously going to be excellent at dealing with someone with no short term memory because I apparently amused the occupants of A&E enormously repeating things over & over. I also had no inhibitions & pointed out things about other people in a loud voice - For example how silly it was not to do up your shoe laces because you might trip up. (I doubt M found it funny after several hours & I imagine it's quite surprising someone didn't take exception to me & add to the facial bruises!)
Apparently I was triaged, had scans, xrays, blood tests etc. But none of it registered. The result is no broken shoulder or nose, but a face like a prize fighter's after coming out the worst from a boxing bout.
We eventually got home late in the evening. M had been told I had to be watched for 24 hrs. My lovely grandsons couldn't hide their shock when they saw me the next morning.
It's not appropriate to go into all the circumstances here, but it is interesting that the person whose car it was, & definitely knew what had happened as a result of their poor & probably illegal parking, didn't have the grace to ask how I was or apologise. Instead she apparently left a very jolly message on M's answerphone, which incensed M quite reasonably.
The thing about this story is that one thoughtless person has caused all the people involved so much time, cost & trouble. The cost to the NHS must be considerable & there might be long term consequences as I'm in my 70's. The people who helped me really put themselves out & were kind & considerate. M had to leave her teaching job & spend hours in A&E & then come home to check on me the next day. She is very capable, but it must all have been very stressful & worrying.
I have been in quite considerable pain for 2 days. As well as the facial / head / shoulder injuries all my leg & arm muscles hurt because I must have fallen quite heavily. In effect I have lost a complete day of my life & may never recover it. I never turned up for two appointments on Monday & have had to cancel everything since. I'm not sure when I will be fit enough to resume my life.
I'm trying to keep a balance between the many people who were kind & helped me & the one person who is responsible for all this but doesn't seem capable of accepting that responsibility. An enquiry how I am & an apology doesn't seem too much to ask.
Not sure where I will go from here. Accidents happen, but this was an accident waiting to happen.
PS
Someone who was blind or partially sighted would stand no chance. Equally if the weather was bad & you had a hood up, or very bright sun. I think the point is that it was predictable that the obstruction might cause an accident.
Saturday 4 March 2017
I'm a Demographic Statistic
That's me - Woman, Baby Boomer, 60's hippy, Retired, Pensioner, Home Owner, Widower, Financially Secure. Costing the NHS because of several chronic conditions - (having contributed all my life through National Insurance & taxes). Not working so not contributing to the GNP. Volunteering since early retirement - so actually contributing quite a lot unpaid.
How do you value a person? How important is one person in the grand scheme of things? A grain of sand maybe? How much influence / impact does one peson have on the world? Seemingly it depends on the individual and how well known they are. Fame isn't a measure of value though.
A few unusual individuals do actually make a difference - for good or for ill. My main influence on anything will have been as a teacher. Only my students can judge whether that was for good or ill. I suppose individuals also influence their family, friends & aquaintances.
It's all ripples on a pond. Each person starts a ripple which spreads out from them at the centre. The ripple can be beneficial or malign. I think the only thing we can hope for is that it's the former not the latter. If each one of us tried to do good, be kind & considerate the world would be a better place.
It really feels like a battle for the survival of good over evil, hope over despair. We need more positive ripples.
How do you value a person? How important is one person in the grand scheme of things? A grain of sand maybe? How much influence / impact does one peson have on the world? Seemingly it depends on the individual and how well known they are. Fame isn't a measure of value though.
A few unusual individuals do actually make a difference - for good or for ill. My main influence on anything will have been as a teacher. Only my students can judge whether that was for good or ill. I suppose individuals also influence their family, friends & aquaintances.
It's all ripples on a pond. Each person starts a ripple which spreads out from them at the centre. The ripple can be beneficial or malign. I think the only thing we can hope for is that it's the former not the latter. If each one of us tried to do good, be kind & considerate the world would be a better place.
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